Michael Ovitz, one of Hollywood’s most controversial figures, likes to think his presence at a Tinseltown bargaining table gets action.

But in New Jersey, the talent agent-turned wannabe mall developer is anything but a power player.

While he was supposed to use his Hollywood star power and connections to pull in unique tenants, the lineup for the 1.3 million-square-foot Jersey Gardens Value MegaMall currently looks like any other mall in the state.

Businessmen already committed to the mall say their decision had nothing to do with Ovitz.

Sure, Ovitz helped get developer-pal Michael Glimcher, executive vice president of Glimcher Reality Trust, financing for the project, but his power on the East Coast is puny compared with the weight he used to carry in the entertainment business.

And, while Ovitz used to be associated with only the finest projects, the Jersey Gardens is far from that – it is billed as New Jersey’s eighth-largest mall.

The former head of Creative Artists Agency and ex-president of The Walt Disney Company did not return calls about his latest production. Perhaps he is distracted by the soap opera being played out in the latest chapter of his professional life.

He is hated by people he used to consider his dearest friends, and former colleagues at CAA say their clients must choose between them and Ovitz’s new management company.

Jersey Gardens is just one of several non-Hollywood projects Ovitz has pursued since his ex-friend Michael Eisner fired him from The Walt Disney Company in 1996.

Ovitz lasted there just 14 months after leaving CAA, which he had founded and turned into a powerful Hollywood force.

He tried out life as a philanthropist, giving millions of dollars to the UCLA Medical Center, and serving on the board of trustees at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

He also tried his hand at theater, investing $20 million in Livent Entertainment; but that went sour when two of its executives were charged with bilking millions from the company and it was put up for sale.

Those projects, of course, are secondary to his second stab at Hollywood fame. Ovitz is desperately trying to recreate his former glory, by forming Artists Management Group, a talent management company, last December.

High-profile clients include Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz and Robin Williams signed on. But Ovitz made a lot of enemies during his first reign, and many in the Hollywood community are determined to stop him.

Even Ron Meyer, his former friend and business partner, has piled on. After CAA told clients that they could not do business with Ovitz, Meyer expressed his support for for the agency’s move.

All of which may explain why Ovitz hasn’t exactly given his full attention to Jersey Gardens. He was supposed to function much like an executive producer – instead of getting his hands dirty, he would lure high-profile names and money.

But so far, the mall looks pretty ordinary, with staples like Bed, Bath & Beyond, and theme restaurants like Johnny Rockets and Rainforest Cafe.